Available as

• Postgraduate Certificate in in Contemporary Faith and Belief in the Global Context  (2 modules) (60 Credits)
• Postgraduate Diploma in in Contemporary Faith and Belief in the Global Context  (4 modules) (120 Credits)
• MA in in Contemporary Faith and Belief in the Global Context  (4 modules and a 15,000 word major project) (180 Credits)

Full-time or Part-time Distance Learning

Compulsory Module

Secularisation in the Christian World (30 Credits)

This module aims to introduce students to one of the most pervasive paradigms about religion in modern society: the process of secularisation. The question at the core of this module is ‘what happens to religion under conditions of modernity and/or accelerated social change?’.

The module will entertain both the tenets of the secularisation paradigm (rationalisation, pluralisation, structural differentiation, the contraction in the scope and role of religion in contemporary society) and perspectives which draw attention to related but different processes (religious change, Western European exceptionalism, different models of state-church relations, alternate modernities etc.).

In mapping the various responses and trends triggered by the contextual encounter between conditions of modernity and religion, this module will consider both European and world contexts.

Students will be encouraged to reflect on the ways in which their context, religiosity and, in some cases, ministry are shaped by (post) modernity and the prevailing secularisation of the societal order. Equally, students will be encouraged to explore the ways in which an awareness of current socio-religious realities can produce a fresh understanding of these issues.

This module is compulsory for students taking MA Contemporary Faith and Belief.

The assessment will comprise 1 assignment totalling 6,000 words.

Optional Modules

Optional modules are selected from one of two pathways:

i) Faith and Belief Pathway 

Theology & Philosophy 30

Christianity & Ecology 30

Ecumenism in Theory & Practice 30

Mystery of Love 30 

or

ii) World Christianity Pathway

Theology & Practice of Mission 30

Development of World Christianity 30

Interfaith Relations from Theory to Encounter 30

Public Theology 30

The normal entrance requirement for the postgraduate programmes in the Cambridge Theological Federation is a first- or good second-class honours degree in a relevant subject. Examples would include Ethics, Philosophy, Theology, or other related subjects.

The CTF will also consider graduates in other disciplines who may also be admitted to the programme on a case by case basis. The CTF will also take seriously, on a case by case basis, applications from candidates without an appropriate undergraduate degree but that can demonstrate significant relevant experience, such as within professional or ministerial roles, especially for candidates who have not had the opportunity to engage in formal higher education before.

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by the House they have applied to. The Federation reserves the right not to admit applicants who do not satisfactorily demonstrate their motivation or ability to fit into the learning community of the chosen Federation House. Applicants can only be admitted if the interview confirms their teachability, and if there is clear indication that they are able to establish and maintain meaningful learning relationships with their tutors and fellow students.

English Language requirements

Our standard entry criteria for postgraduate courses is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent, with nothing lower than 5.5 in any of the four elements (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

We also accept the following English language tests as equivalent to IELTS 6.5 with 5.5 in each element:

• ETS TOEFL iBT with 88 overall and a minimum of 17 in Writing and Listening, 18 in Reading and 20 in Speaking
• Pearson PTE with 61 overall and a minimum of 51 in all components.

However, students requiring visas to study full time in the UK should note that the government will only accept an IELTS result as evidence of meeting the English language requirement.

This programme is designed for professionals and postgraduate students with a strong interest in theology, philosophy, and the role of faith in contemporary society. It is especially suited for those pursuing the following careers:

• Educators
• Political philosophers
• Social workers
• Journalists
• Community leaders
• Roles in religious or priestly vocations

The MA in Contemporary Faith and Belief enables students to acquire the theological skills to respond to the major challenges of modernity and postmodernity. Both an uncritical accommodation to secular thought and a blanket rejection of all non-Christian ideas must be avoided.

For this intellectual tightrope walk to be successful, students need to understand the intellectual history and present state of the contemporary world, and its often hidden and contradictory beliefs. Most importantly, they learn how to make theologically informed judgements that are rooted in tradition, but without reducing theological thinking to an identical repetition of the past.